mjb585 Posted February 19, 2008 #1 Share Posted February 19, 2008 We are looking to plan a Christmas (2008) family cruise. There will be 8 adults & 7 kids. Age range of the kids are 12 - 16 (3 girls / 4 boys). All tend to like high energy activities. We are looking for feedback around cruises, lines, ships, desitinations, etc. that we can look at to plan. My family has done Disney and we're looking for other lines for this trip. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted February 19, 2008 #2 Share Posted February 19, 2008 High energy? Then go with RCCL Freedom Ships (Freedom of the Seas/Liberty of the Seas/Independence of the Seas) and try Western Carib. They'll be able to rock climb, ice skate, play golf and surf onboard (they can even take boxing lessons if they want...lol). And with Western Carib, there is a tree top canopy tour in Jamaica. Or river rafting. And swimming with sting rays in Grand Caymen. And there are Jeep tours/ATV tours/Wave Runner tours. There is a site that walks you through the Freedom SHips www.freedomoftheseas.com Or you cal go to www.rccl.com and look at the ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjb585 Posted February 19, 2008 Author #3 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Thanks for the info, crusinmama06! This helps lots. I see you've done Carnival - how do you rate RCCL vs Carnival. I checked out things on cruisecritic and see that Carnival and RCCL seem to have great offerings for families, especially for those with teens. I'm interested in your (and others'!) take on these two lines. Also - any experience cruising out of NYC in December? We'll have In-Laws traveling and they'd rather not fly to FL and we can get to NYC via bus. Thoughts? Thanks!!! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted February 20, 2008 #4 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Thanks for the info, crusinmama06! This helps lots. I see you've done Carnival - how do you rate RCCL vs Carnival. I checked out things on cruisecritic and see that Carnival and RCCL seem to have great offerings for families, especially for those with teens. I'm interested in your (and others'!) take on these two lines. Also - any experience cruising out of NYC in December? We'll have In-Laws traveling and they'd rather not fly to FL and we can get to NYC via bus. Thoughts? Thanks!!! Mike I have not done a Carnival new ship. So no, my experience with Carnival didn't compare to RCCL (except with Camp Carnival, my kids LOVED camp carnival) I think Carnival is nice for the value. But RCCL has more ammenities. As far as cruising out of NY in winter, I haven't done that because you lose 1-2 pool days to the cold weather. And in winter I want to get into the warm weather asap ;) I keep finding some great prices for direct flights to Florida for $117 pp. For that price I have no problem flying ;) But if I live REALLY close to the port, then yes, I would go out of NY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianTwosome Posted February 20, 2008 #5 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Michele, you really must start asking RCCL for some commission!! :) I'll just keep saying what I always say... no cruise is a bad cruise!! They all have kid's programs as well, but of course some ships have more amenities than others (and those RCCL Freedom class ships sure look like they're leading that pack!) I'm an NCL booster, myself. Our family loves the freestyle way of doing things. We're planning our next NCL cruise on the Pearl, which has a rock climbing wall, a miniature golf course, bowling, and a tennis court, among the other 'usuals'. It's really the freestyle concept that keeps us coming back to NCL, though. We enjoy the variety of restaurants and not having to eat at a set time or with anyone we don't want to eat with. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid-Age Posted February 20, 2008 #6 Share Posted February 20, 2008 In case you consider HAL, do more research because HAL is very traditional. Average age in HAL is kind of high . Just FYI :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KC_fn Posted February 20, 2008 #7 Share Posted February 20, 2008 I've cruised with my teen daughter on both Carnival (13 at the time) and RCI (almost 16 at the time); here's our take on the two lines. We both noticed that Carnival seemed to be geared toward younger kids, and she wasn't remotely tempted by any of the organized activities for teens. RCI had a much bigger, and cooler, array of activities and areas for that age group; and there seemed to be many more teens to hang out with (new friends) (cute boys :eek: ). Maybe Carnival is better after all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_DNA Posted February 20, 2008 #8 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Michele, you really must start asking RCCL for some commission!! :) We don't know for sure that she isn't already getting a commission, do we? ;) :) Maybe she is a Royal Caribbean spy. :D We all know that evil corporations will go to great lengths to make money, because, well, they are evil, you know. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted February 20, 2008 #9 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Michele, you really must start asking RCCL for some commission!! :) We don't know for sure that she isn't already getting a commission, do we? Maybe she is a Royal Caribbean spy. We all know that evil corporations will go to great lengths to make money, because, well, they are evil, you know. HAHAHAHAHA! I wish! Then at least it would justify the amount of time I spend here. :p They can pay me with an invite to a free cruise. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjb585 Posted February 22, 2008 Author #10 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Thank you everyone for the great replies. Your suggestions have helped in our discussions. We're doing group planning, so my tack is to narrow down to just a few possibilities so we can try to get some consensus. I'm suggesting RCCL or NCL. Now if I can only decide on Freedom class or Voyager class..... Thanks!! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted February 23, 2008 #11 Share Posted February 23, 2008 UGH I replied to you earlier today but my post is floating away somewhere. :rolleyes: Anyway...lol. Differences between Voyager/Freedom class Freedom class - H20 zone, flowrider (surfing), fresh water pools, boxing ring, Centilever hottubs that hang over the side of the ship, bigger Voyager Class - salt water pools, some have Adventure Beach (kids water area) instead of H20 zone And that's about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmccarthy Posted February 24, 2008 #12 Share Posted February 24, 2008 Michelle, I had a few questions for about cruising with kids and wondered if I could email you. You can find me email in my mariner website, click on the link in my signature. Thanks! Beth :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted February 24, 2008 #13 Share Posted February 24, 2008 Michelle, I had a few questions for about cruising with kids and wondered if I could email you. You can find me email in my mariner website, click on the link in my signature. Thanks! Beth :rolleyes: Just emailed you :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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